SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 Admit Card: Exam from 30 September, City Slip and Hall Ticket Released in Batches
SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 exam runs from 30 September to 30 October 2026 for 12,256 vacancies. The city intimation slip comes about 10 days before your exam date and the admit card 2 to 3 days before. Download steps, ID rules and exam pattern explained.
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SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 Admit Card: What Is Happening Now
The Staff Selection Commission will conduct the SSC CGL 2026 Tier-I Computer Based Examination from 30 September 2026 to 30 October 2026, as per the official notice dated 12 September 2026. Around 28 to 29 lakh candidates have applied for 12,256 Group B and Group C vacancies.
The most important thing to understand: there is no single admit card release date for everyone. Because the exam runs for a full month, SSC releases the city intimation slip and the admit card in batches, linked to each candidate's own exam date.
| Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam | Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2026 (Tier-I) |
| Conducting body | Staff Selection Commission (SSC) |
| Exam period | 30 September 2026 to 30 October 2026 |
| Vacancies | 12,256 |
| City intimation slip | About 10 days before your exam date |
| Admit card | 2 to 3 days before your exam date |
| Login | Registration number / email + password |
| Official website | ssc.gov.in |
City Slip and Admit Card: The Official Rule
As per the SSC CGL 2026 notification:
- Information about the exam city, centre and time table is uploaded about 10 days before the date of examination.
- The facility to download the Admission Certificate (admit card) is made available 2 to 3 days before the examination.
So for the first batch of candidates whose exam falls on 30 September 2026, the city slip is expected around 20 to 22 September 2026 and the admit card around 27 September 2026. Candidates with exam dates in October will get theirs later, in the same pattern.
Please note that SSC has not announced any fixed release date. Anyone publishing an exact date is only estimating. The safest approach is to keep checking your SSC dashboard from about 10 days before your own exam date.
How to Download the SSC CGL Admit Card
- Visit ssc.gov.in.
- Click Login at the top right of the home page.
- Enter your Registration Number or registered email ID, your password (created during One Time Registration), and the captcha.
- On your dashboard, open Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2026.
- Click Admit Card / Admission Certificate for Tier-I, or Check City Intimation for the city slip.
- Open the PDF and check every detail: name, roll number, photo, exam date, shift, reporting time, gate closing time and the full centre address.
- Download and print 2 or 3 copies. A printout is compulsory at the exam hall.
Note: the current SSC portal uses password-based login. The older "registration number plus date of birth" method is no longer in use, so if a website tells you to log in with your date of birth, ignore it.
What to Carry to the Exam Centre
This is where many candidates get confused, so here is the rule from the official notification.
If you completed Aadhaar-based authentication while applying:
- You do not need to carry physical photographs.
- You do not need a separate photo ID at the venue.
- Report at the time printed on your admit card.
If you did NOT complete Aadhaar authentication:
- Carry at least two recent passport-size colour photographs.
- Carry one original photo ID showing your date of birth, Aadhaar, Voter ID, Driving Licence, PAN card, Passport or another government photo ID.
- If your ID does not show the date of birth, carry an additional proof of date of birth, such as your matriculation certificate.
- Report at the centre two hours before the exam starts.
In all cases, carry the printed admit card. Once the gate closes, no candidate is allowed in, for any reason.
Items normally not allowed inside the exam hall include mobile phones, smart watches and any watches, Bluetooth devices, calculators, electronic gadgets, books, notes, bags and food items. Follow the instructions printed on your own admit card.
SSC CGL 2026 Tier-I Exam Pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 25 | 50 |
| General Awareness | 25 | 50 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 50 |
| English Comprehension | 25 | 50 |
| Total | 100 | 200 |
- Mode: Computer Based Test, objective, bilingual (English and Hindi).
- Duration: 60 minutes, with a sectional timer of 15 minutes per section. This is the big change in this cycle, you cannot move freely between sections.
- Marking: +2 for a correct answer, −0.50 for a wrong answer.
- Candidates eligible for a scribe get 1 hour 20 minutes, with a 20-minute sectional timer.
PwBD candidates: compensatory time of 20 minutes per hour is given. A scribe cannot assist more than one candidate in the same examination, and in this cycle scribes have to register through OTR and verify with OTP.
What Comes After Tier-I
Tier-II is tentatively scheduled for December 2026 (dates not yet announced). Its structure:
- Paper-I (compulsory): Session-I of 2 hours 15 minutes, Mathematical Abilities and Reasoning (60 questions, 1 hour), English Language & Comprehension and General Awareness (70 questions, 1 hour), Computer Knowledge Test (20 questions, 60 marks, 15 minutes). Session-II is a 15-minute Data Entry Speed Test, qualifying in nature.
- Paper-II: Statistics (100 questions, 200 marks) for JSO and Statistical Investigator Grade-II posts.
- Paper-III: General Studies (Finance and Economics), 100 questions, 200 marks, for Assistant Audit Officer and Assistant Accounts Officer posts.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Waiting for a nationwide release date. Your admit card is tied to your own exam date, not to a common date.
- Not checking the centre address in advance. Centres can be in another city within your chosen region. Plan travel as soon as the city slip is out.
- Ignoring the reporting time. Candidates who did not complete Aadhaar authentication must report two hours early.
- Forgetting your OTR password. Reset it well before the exam, not on exam morning.
- Carrying a photocopy of the ID. The photo ID must be in original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. When will the SSC CGL 2026 Tier-1 admit card be released? About 2 to 3 days before your own exam date. For the 30 September batch it is expected around 27 September 2026. SSC has not fixed a single date for all candidates.
Q2. What is the city intimation slip? It tells you which city your exam centre is in, and it comes about 10 days before your exam date. It is not the admit card, and you cannot enter the exam hall with it.
Q3. What login details do I need? Your registration number or registered email ID, and the password you created during One Time Registration on ssc.gov.in.
Q4. I did Aadhaar authentication. Do I still need a photo ID? As per the official notification, no. Candidates who completed Aadhaar authentication do not need to carry photographs or a separate photo ID.
Q5. What is the reporting time? It is printed on your admit card. Candidates who did not do Aadhaar authentication must report two hours before the exam starts.
Q6. How many candidates are appearing? Around 28 to 29 lakh applications were received for 12,256 vacancies.
Q7. Can I change my exam city or date? No. SSC does not allow changes to the allotted date, shift or centre.
Conclusion
The SSC CGL 2026 Tier-I exam starts on 30 September 2026 and runs to 30 October 2026. Watch your SSC dashboard from about ten days before your exam date for the city slip, then download the admit card two to three days before the exam. Check the shift timing and reporting time printed on your own admit card, because those are the only official timings that apply to you.
Disclaimer: This article is based on the official SSC CGL 2026 notification and the SSC notice dated 12 September 2026, as available on ssc.gov.in on 19 September 2026. City slip and admit card release dates mentioned here are expected dates, not official announcements.